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| BRE Fire test in progress |
We are often asked for information on how the SIPs panels perform in the case of fire.
In October 2009, the BRE Watford carried out fire tests on SIPs panels. The BRE are an independent company who aim to provide 'expert, impartial research, knowledge and advice for the built environment sector and beyond.' SIPs Industries were happy to provide the man power to install the test buildings.
Past fire tests have tended to focus on how individual elements of a building perform in a specific scenario, without realistic indication of how the various elements will perform when combined into an actual building.
The BRE fire tests aimed to test the SIP panels in a realistic setting, on two-storey structures which incorporated SIP wall panels and a floor system of engineered floor joists.
In total, four tests were carried out, using designs representing a two-storey house and a multiple occupancy apartment dwelling, and lasting for 30 and 60 minutes respectively. Each test compartment measured 3mx4m, and had a floor to ceiling height of 2.4m, representing a standard room. The panels were clad on the outside with masonry, and on the inside with plasterboard.
The initial test report by Tom Lennon and Danny Hopkin was published this month, and states that the fire tests; “... have confirmed the ability of a structure incorporating SIP wall panels and engineered floor joists to survive a real fire scenario with an equivalent severity of 60 minutes exposure to the standard fire curve.”
The mode of failure of the structure was a result of the floor failing, and the report emphasised that: “Such a scenario is not influenced by the SIP system and would be the same for other panelised, framed or traditional masonry construction systems.”
A full report on the test programme 'The performance in fire of structural insulated panels BD2710 BRE 2010' has now been published by Communities and Local Government (CLG).
